Crone reminds me of Anissina. I want to see her with someone fiery. Paul, for some odd reason, reminds me of Duchesnay.

There are plenty of talented skaters whom we never see. I am sure we will see both Paul and Vanessa with new partners in the future. It's not like the old days of dance where when partners split up, it usually means the end (since most dance teams back in the day were in their thirties). Isn't Paul still a teenager?

If I can't have my way (Caitlin Yankowskas with Bryce Davison), then maybe Crone and Davison can get together =)

This may be no more than gossip ( I have no way of knowing) but someone on the FSU C/P thread said apparently Vanessa was willing to entertain the possibility of changing coaches, and Paul was not. Who knows ...

PJ's interview with Paul doesn't tell you much , but his little "I knew it was the right decision " ( assuming that's a direct quote ) stands out a bit , among all the usual kudos to partner , etc. No matter what anyone says about their World's results not playing a part , I find it hard to believe that if they had achieved their goal at World's ,we'd be seeing this split. I sincerely hope that disappointment was not laid at Vanessa's door.

I don't know, colleen. He's implied he'd be willing to skate for another country (after sitting out the year, as that is "the price to pay"). Would he be more tied to his coach (who I don't think coaches any non-Canadian teams) than country? This isn't a judgement (though I realize it sounds like that). Additionally, the press release does make it sound like Vanessa is ready to move on beyond skating.

As for Chock and Poirier, ignoring the actual political reasons that wouldn't work, I'm not convinced Paul could handle the pure diva that is M. Chock. She's a star, and he'd have to work very hard to come to her level.

Pogue.. I don't know either , I'm just musing here ..but , taking jolen's post into consideration , there's a possibility that Vanessa hasn't had time to formulate any rigid goals , just take her test , keep busy and think about it...or she may be ready to move on..just seems rather abrupt if she was already focusing on next year's programs, etc.

With Paul..it will be interesting to see who he partners with and where they wind up training. We know male partners are at a premium. We know a lot of people meet, talk , drop hints, and outright head-hunt at World's..it may be ( as with Yankowskas and Coughlin ) that something has already been set in motion behind the scene .

I agree , I don't think Paul is ready for Chock..and I think he may be a little bit used to being the star , himself , given how the whole team always seemed so solicitous of him in the Kiss & Cry..

ETA; Oh,rats! My dogs are glaring at me, I must go...but I wanted to ask, what happens to their funding, now that they've split ? I'll be rushing back to see if anyone knows.

I can't see Skate Canada releasing Paul to skate for another country. They wouldn't release Leif Gislason, whose one accomplishment was a bronze JGP event medal. Crone/Poirier certainly have achieved far more than that.

The reason he'd have to sit out a year would be because if he found a partner currently skating for another country, that skater would be switching countries, hence the delay.

I'm beginning to think it's rather odd that right off the bat ,he would even have mentioned looking for a partner with the stipulation that she be of similar abilities to Vanessa , and in the next breath stating that he'd be willing to look abroad,even if it meant sitting out... unless he already had a partner ,or had one in mind.. Surely , at this supposedly early stage, you would expect an announcement that he was looking for a partner, and then a later announcement ( or it might leak out ) that the search wasn't working out and he had to entertain looking abroad.

ETA; I meant to add : anyone who would be willing to sit out a year , theoretically , should be equally willing to give a partner of slightly less ability a year to catch up ? That would be a much easier wish list to fill in Canada , but it's an option that was never mentioned , IIRC.

There was a lot of puffery about Coughlin teaming up with Denney before it happened, so I'm definitely curious. The thing is, who internationally is (a) of comparable abilities and/or can get their within a year, (b) is willing to skate for Canada and (c)is with a federation that would release her? Additionally, keep in mind that citizenship for Canada takes three years, so Sochi is already out as a goal (I don't know about expedited citizenship in Canada). SO if they were serious about it, the goal would likely be for 2018 in Peyonchang (assumption, of course).

But going along with that, presuming it will all work, I'd be interested in seeing him with Ekaterina Riazanova (I know, she'd never get a release, is currently in a successful partnership, and I'd actually rather see her back with Guerreiro).

Riazanova/Guerreiro is one of the splits I'm still refusing to accept.
Alison Reed has no partner,I don't know if she can catch up with Paul at this level.Madison Chock, if the split rumors turn out to be true,will never get released from USFSA.It would be more certain that the USFSA will try to get Poirier ( a la Belbin) but Skate Canada will never release him either.
Since he's saying he's looking for international partners as well,I'm pretty sure he has something in mind, but I don't know any other top level dancers without a partnership.
Nora Hoffman is too tall and the way ice dancing is right now these kind of difference won't work that well.Maybe some of the French junior dancers or some of the Canadian junior couple have split as well?

Russian partners are out of the question because no one at that level will be released before Sochi.

Nora Hoffmann is not only too tall, but I can't see that she would even consider skating for Canada. She is part of the one and only Hungarian team and is assured of World/Olympic berths; she'd have to wait a year before competing again after having missed Worlds 2011 due to injury, and then she'd be one of four teams vying for three Worlds spots.

Alison Reed might be a possibility, but it seems to me I heard that she would prefer to find a partner who would be willing to skate for Japan.